The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1887-12-12
DR.. Talmage's Sermon Yesterday.
'Ye Blind Guides Who Strain Out o
CHAT and Swallow a Camel"
Scrupulousness About the Conven-
tionalities of Religion Attacked.
Sermons That Put Congregation
to Sleep After This Order.
II Is Worse TO Sleep Than to Smile In
Church wit and Humor Used
to Bring Souls to
Christ.

BROOKLYN, " V, Dee. ll.-Tonight tho
Rev. T. DE Witt Talmagc, ID, preached
at the Tabernacle, this city, ON Too Much
Ado About Small Things His text was:
aye blind guides, which strain ut gnat
and swallow acamcl" Matthew xNiii, "A.
The eloquent preacher said
"a proyerb is compact with wisdom,
knowledge in chunks, library in u sem
tencc, the electricity OF many clouds dis
charged in one bolt, river put through
millmce. When Christ quotes the PROV
CRIB OF the text hc means TO set forth tho
ludicrous behavior OF those who make q
great hluslcr about small sins and have no
appreciation Of the great ONES.
"ln my test, u small insect aud largo
quadrupcd arr brought into comparison u
gnat and a camel Nou have in museum
or ON the desert seen the latter u great
awkward, sprNliug creature, with back
two stories high, aud stomach having a
collection pl reservoirs Tor desert travel. an
animal forbidden Ia the Jews ~ ioul, and
IN many liirmlurc- entitled the ship of tho
grub form. ID is born la pool or pond, att
cr u lew weeks becomes a chr, sails and
then after few DAYS becomes the pnat ~
wcrcugninc H. liut then the insect spoken
oi Ia the text IN ia its very smallest shape,
and u yet inhlbts the water iur my text
Is nii,prnt and ought 10 read strain out
gnnt
My text shows YOU the prince IT incon-
sisicncics. \ man after long observation
has formed the suspicion that Ia cup IL
water lac Is about Ia drink thcm h grub,
ur the gmndr1rui ui gnni. lie gp,s and
gets sieve ur slraiucr. lie takc-i he Wuicr
and pOur b through the sieve
ia the hmJd light. lie SAYS A
would rather du anything almost
than drink thi. water until this lnra hn
cNtirpnicd. lhis water h brought under
inquisitiun. The experiment H. -uc,tssinl.
/ The water rushy- through thp sieve and
| leaves against tnc Hidvs ul tie sieve tho
grub or gnat. Then the man carefully ~.
moves the insect aud drinks the water IA
placidIiy. hut out one day. ami hungry,
lac dcy0ur- ship III the desert, tho
I camel, which tlic JOYS Werc forbidden 10
eat. The ga,imnpmcr has ~ rnmpunc-
tiou- ul cDu.,curr lie suffers from no
indigestion "" rul- the lower Jaw I'M
dcr the cumris i"uluoi, and his upper
jaw over thr hump oi ihc cumcl's iatk,
AMI gl,,a one swallow and the drpnoiary
disappears lunNuL lie strained out
/ gnat, hc swallowed camel
"Nhllr tri.i's audience, WIS vet
smiling pl thu uru-iiuuc-s and wit ui his
/ ILLUSTRATION ul-Wilr they did IN rhurh,
unlr-, they ven luo stupid la understand
/ the hlpnibplu thIi.l practically said Ia
] IaHHH "a.
small ihIue., Wrhl,-, about affairs
] oi great magnitude NO subject ever
/ WiithHl under q surgeons kuir mon,
| bitterly Than did the rhari~rcs under
/ Chris -,ulu,l of truth A. uu 1nninmist
/ viii take q human huly iD piece, and put
| them under re- microscope iur examination,
| - Christ finds hi. VIZ Ca the heart ui tho
| dead Pharsrr. uui ru'. .t ont and puts Il
| under the glu .,ul Inspection lug 40 u,ncr-
4 liipus tu examine Ihu-n phafisrca
| thought tluu Christ would haitcr them
| anil compliment them, and how they
/ must have NTithrd uuiUr tie pd hOt
| wont. q. hr said. We Tools, yc Nhitcd
fcpulUhfts. So hhud guides, which strain
| ont q gu1i Unl swallow camel
There 1U boz our DAYS upui many
/ gnat- strained uui Hnl a great many uun-
| els swallowed lud ID b. tho object uf this
] sermon iu ekr.rh lFW prrsuus Who uro
/ extensively Engaged 900 iht business.
"liUt lrmirk that all those ministers
| ct thu gI-lsl Hl. photographed iu the text
I Who atr N,rN s,rupuluu- about the yunVcn-
/ tiunuliiics ~ Religion. bat put no particu-
! lur sir.S- upon mliirr pi ,lud importance.
/ thuuh syryi,r- ought io hr gave and sol
/ pmn There b DO ru,u ipF iriyulity IN rc.
| ligipu, cuu,p1lipu, iui there an illustra-
| lions 1nd There W, htpprholos like that II
/ Clii,t la the test that will irmdiatc with
| smiles auy intelligent auditory. There aro
men like thu-o blind guides Ut the text
/ who advocate 1ul tlu-' thing, in religious
/ service which draw ihu purncrs oi tho
| mouth down nnd dCuuuurU all thusc things
| which have q tendency todrW the corners
| OF thc mouth mp. and these men will 90 TO
/ installations, and 30 pwsbyicrius, and 10
/ conicpuo,r. and tlus-Driatiuns, their pogk-
] cts foil ul iinc sleeves Ia strain ont the gnnis,
/ while Doe thrIroWu churches at home every
/ SUNDAY thDr are iihy Ivuplr sound asleep.
l They make their rhurrhc- great dornii-
| tory, AMI their sumn..rrpus sermons are q
cradle and thr imUlrdout hymns a lula
/ by. while some Vtkrlul sod IN pew with
her ian keep, lhr dice uli unconscious per-
SONS approximate Now say u IL worse
to slccpin rhurh ilau ip smilc la church,
iur thr latter implies ut least attention,
| while lhr iruuur impl.,s The Indifference
oi the hulwr- Uni the stupidity OF tho
speaker. I'm uld ur'. ur lium physical in
trinity, or lruu long watching with tho
sick. drlN-inH.- will something's oycrpower
one. but When minister OF the gospel
looks of upon au audience and find3
healthy and Intelligent people struggling
with drpNsincs.. u }, time iur him 10 give
ont Me- doNulpfy ~ pronounce the bone
diction. The grclt fault oi church services
today is not too much ,iyacity but too
much somnorncc. The one j. an irritat-
ing gnai that may be- easily strained out.
the other b. gtyal spriwlng aud sleepy
eyed camel of the dry desert In all our
Sabbath Schools. IN all our Biblo classes.
in al or pulpIis W. need TO brighten up
Our religious message with such Christ
like yiyaci'y o., We lind in the text
II take down from my library the biog-
mphy of ministers and writer's OF past ages,
inspired AMI uunspind Il, Who have done
the most 10 bring souls 10 Jesus Christ,
and llnd that without q single exception
they consccmtcd their wit and their hui
NOR 10 Christ Elijah used II when no
advised the DanlltCs. a they could not